DAVENHAM'S
UNIQUE ROLE IN
CAPITAL PROJECTS
NOT many
companies are in a position to take on the kind of role Davenham Investments plays in high technology infrastructural projects in the region.
"We represent a small number of principals as their agent in Hong Kong and the Far East. We specialise in big projects that are high technology oriented, which normally means they are capital intensive and for the long term," explains Davenham director Jarle Nilsen.
The company's clients tend to be major independent utility companies or government departments. Much of its recent work has been directed towards supply of equipment for mass transportation developments such as the Tuen Mun Light Rail Transit System and the expansion of the Kowloon-Canton Railway in Hong Kong and the Mass Rapid Transit System in Singapore.
The company has also established its name in the supply of power generation equipment. Equipment was supplied to Hongkong Electric for Lamma Power Station; standby generators were supplied for the Hongkong Bank headquarters building and for Hong Kong & China Gas Company's new development in Tai Po; and, working with Hutchison China Trade, the company won a turnkey project for the supply and installation of equipment for a power station in the Daqing oil field in China.
"The development of the oil industry in China has already resulted in contracts for us. For instance, we have contracted for marine equipment with specialised features that is being installed in large units now under construction in Chinese shipyards.
"We look for projects for which our principals' equipment is appropriate and we may have to find additional suppliers to give us the necessary scope for turnkey projects," says Mr Nilsen.
And with China's emphasis on modernisation of its infrastructure, the market for Davenham's select and sophisticated lines of activity is sure to grow.
"Our growing concentration in the China market leads principals to approach us. They know that with our small portfolio, we will be able to devote a lot of time to searching out potential projects for them, but we will only take on a principal if his interests complement our existing arcas of activity.”
Closer to home, a Davenham subsidiary, Hong Kong Explosives, contributes to the supply of raw materials for the construction industry in Hong Kong and Macau. The subsidiary has cornered more than 50% of the market and its customers naturally include Hutchison subsidiary Anderson Asia, as well as all other major users.
JARLE NILSEN,
DIRECTOR OF DAVENHAM
INVESTMENTS.
"We specialise in big
projects that are high
technology oriented,
which normally means
they are capital intensive
and for the long term."
24
HUTCHISON WHAMPOA LIMITED
E